Vietnam’s new rules of origin under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership took effect this month, allowing Vietnamese exports to RCEP countries to benefit from preferential tariffs, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported April 8. RCEP goods imported into Vietnam will also benefit from low tariffs when they are accompanied with a certificate of origin, HKTDC said, and importers must submit that proof of origin to the country’s customs authority, with some exemptions.
Imports of rice and dried tobacco leaves from Cambodia may enter Vietnam under tariff quotas for 2021 and 2022, the state-run CustomsNews said April 10. The TRQ for rice is 300,000 tonnes per year and the TRQ for dried tobacco leaves is 3,000 tonnes per year. To get the special rate under the quota, traders must have a certificate of origin Form S issued by the Cambodian Ministry of Trade or authorized agency, and they must be cleared at certain border gates, the report said. The TRQ preferential tax rate is good from April 15 through the end of 2022.
India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade added new features to its Scrip Transfer Recording Module following notices that certain fraudulent scrip transfers occurred on the platform. The changes include a time-lag for the transfer of scrip from the original owner to the transferee, a time-lag for scrip transfer from one entity to another, a limit on the number of scrip transfers that can be started for transfer or accepted by each Import Export Code holder per day, and email and text notifications to IEC holders at certain points. Further, the original duty scrip holder is now required to register the duty credit scrip at the Port of Registration with Customs, the DGFT said.
China’s customs agency recently issued an updated version of certain parts of its free trade agreement with New Zealand, according to an unofficial translation of an April 2 notice. The notice includes updated provisions on determining the origin of imported and exported goods, information on tariff classifications and more. The updated provisions took effect April 7.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on April 7 suspended the export privileges of three Russian airlines for violating U.S. export controls against Russia. The agency issued 180-day temporary denial orders for Aeroflot, Azur Air and UTair, barring the airlines from participating in transactions with items subject to the Export Administration Regulations, BIS said.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is extending by 30 days the comment period for an information collection involving the Chemical Weapons Convention Regulations and the CWC’s declaration, report handbook and forms. The collection describes the purpose of the CWC and U.S. reporting obligations. Comments, originally due March 14, are now due May 5 (see 2201110021).
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released its 2022 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, detailing the most significant foreign market access issues facing U.S. exporters. The report examines a range of import policies, tariffs, customs procedures and phytosanitary measures that are restricting U.S. goods, including China’s new “opaque and burdensome” facility registration requirements.
The U.K. amended one entry under its Russia sanctions regime and removed another, in a March 30 notice. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended the listing for Sergey Pavlovich Ivanov, changing his middle name from Borisovich to Pavlovich. OFSI also dropped a duplicate of the listing for Aleksander Aleksandrovich Mikheev. It said the original listing for Mikheev continues to apply and is still subject to an asset freeze.
U.S. export controls against Russia have proven to be effective more quickly than expected, said Thea Kendler, the Bureau of Industry and Security's assistant secretary for export administration. While the U.S. restrictions have hit key Russian industrial and defense inputs, Kendler said a major reason behind their success has been the substantial buy-in from allies in Europe and Asia.
During a hearing with the House Ways and Means Committee March 30, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai was asked by many Republicans and a few Democrats why the administration has ruled out cutting tariffs to convince negotiating partners in Asia to open their markets, and why it has shied away from continuing free trade agreement negotiations started during the previous administration.